Carding.



W. LEE.

' OARDING. I APPLIOATION FILED 0019, 1912.

m ML; M I

Patented June 16, 1914;;

WILLIAM LEE, 0F PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLANfi.

CARDING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1914.

Application filed October 9, 1912. Serial No.'724,714.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM LEE, citizen of the United States, and resident of Paw tueket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carding, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of carding textile fibers and consists of a method auxiliary to the carding operation by which a cotton-carding machine is enabled to run Without interruption at sustained efliciency, until such time as it becomes necessary to regrind the teeth of the card cylinder. This method renders it unnecessary to strip and clean the card-cylinder every two or three hours, as mill practice heretofore has required; and is characterized by continuous packing of the uncarded or residual fiber left onthe cylinder into a close felt at the .hases of the card-teeth, so that the tips of the teeth are kept free from. those fibers which form ncps when the carding machine is operated as heretofore. The dirt which is not taken care of by the top flats is also packed into the felted. mass at the bases of the card teeth. Since the teeth on a card cylinder are ranged very close together a mechanical fiber packing device is hardly feasible; I employ apneumatic packing device for this purpose, directing a forcible jet of air against the cylinder at such angle as to render its fiber packing operation effective. The performance of this method is a special application of and involves, broadly speaking a method of telling fibers ior general purposes.

My method may he carried into effect by means of apparatus such as isshown in the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a carding machine; Fig. Q'is a view partly in cross section of the pneumatic fiber packer and its carrier; and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the lower part of the carding machine, showing the pneumatic fibcrpacker; and its carrier.

Referring to Fig. 1:-C represents-1 5M main eylin r of a cotton carding machine, which during. the carding operation rotates inthe direetlonshown by the arrow a, takcotton fiber from the lickcr-in L, subjostling it to the action of the top flats at F, and delivering the carded'fiber to the doflcr cylinder D. In the normal operation of a carding machine as heretofore universally known and practised, part of the fiber is lruly and efieciivclycardedand transferred to the dollar cylinder, to be removed there from in the form of a. web, part is taken oil by the top flats, together with dirt, and the residual part remains in the teeth of the card cylinder, when, after a periodof accuinule tion, it interferes with theefi'ectivenessof the carding operation by forming naps. The detrimental efiect of this accumulated resid; ual fiber has heretofore made it necessei to stop a carding machine every two or t, rec hours and strip it clear of the accumulated residual fiber, together with such dirt as has become entangled in it. The cl'iaracteris'tic feature of my method is in treatment of this portion of the cotton fiber which I have termed the residual fiber, since it is thatportion left over after the operations of t e cylinder and top flats have disposed of the other parts of the fiber. fiber-ispassing from the dolfer D to the lieker-in L, I cause it to be compactedv and pressed against the cylinder so as to be re-- As the residual moved from the region nearthe tips of the attachment are shown in Figs. 2 andS. In these figures 0' represents the card cylinder rotating in the direction of the arrow a. S is a screw pro vided with right and left handed traversing threads, and H a housing for the screw S, slotted longitudinally at H. A is a collar loosely surrounding the screw S, B a follower, swivel-mounted by its stem B, in the vrllar A, which extends through the slot H to form the, hanger D, to which the nozzle N is attached, with which the flexible pipe'P communicates; said pipe being con nected with a source of air pressure (not shown). E, E are standards on which the screw 8 is journaled, and P a pulley by p esxnsof which thcscrew S may be rotated.

As thescrew S rotates continuously in one direction, the followerfB traverses hack and forth in the right and left-handed traversing threads, carrying collar A, hanger D and the nozzle N with it. .The angle of incidence of the air jet from the nozzle N upon the cylinder 0 should be such as to crowd the residual fibers into the card teeth. This direction is indicated by the arrow 1;, and may be varied within reasonable limits; Under normal conditions, with a nozzle orifice inch in diameter within 3 inch of the tops of the card teeth, and an air pressure of five. or six pounds per square inch, and a rate of traverse of the nozzle across the card cylinder from five to ten times a minute, the residual fibers will be compacted at the base of the card teeth, leaving the topsthereof clean and in proper condition forgood carding, which, with this method in operation continues without interruption or decline 0 efliciency, until the wearing of the card teeth themselves makes it necessary to stop the machine, strip the cylinder, and

regrind the teeth.

By stripping the accumulated felt formed by the residual fibers under 'the' method above described, in such manner as not to break it except at one line of division, a sheet of elastic cotton felt or wadding is obtained, which has many uses and is decidedly valuable as a by-product.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let-- I tors-Patent is: v

1. The/method of maintaining the card teeth of a cardingvmachine cylinder in effective operative condition, which consists in directing the air jet on the residual fibers among the card teeth during transit of said fibers from the doiier cylinder to the liclrcrin to crowd said fibers to the bases of the teeth.

2. The method of maintaining the card teeth of a carding machine cylinder in cliective operative condition, which consists in directing a .transversely reciprocating air jet on the residual fibers among the card teeth during transit of said fibers from the do fier cylinder to the licker-in to crowd said fibers to the bases of the teeth.

3. In acarding machine, the combination with the carding cylinder, of pneumatic means to exert pressure on the residual fibers, after dofiing, among the card teetl'l. of [said cylinder, to crowd said fibers to the bases of the teeth. v

4. In a carding machlne, the combination Y with the carding cyl1nder,of transversely re ciprocating means to exert pressure on the residual fibers, after dofiing, among the card teeth of said cylinder, to crowd said fibers to the bases of the card teeth.

WILLIAM LEE.

Witnesses:

ODIN Roennrs CHARLES D. Vi'oonnnunr. 

